1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sectional storage rack assembly that is clamped transversely beneath the parallel horizontally-spaced longitudinally-extending I-beams of a flat bed trailer, said storage rack assembly including a pair of end sections each having a pair of parallel horizontally-spaced vertical side walls, and a plurality of transverse members connecting said side walls together to define a lower first storage chamber, and a pair of second storage racks connected between the upper edges of the side walls at the remote ends of the sections, which second storage racks define upper storage chambers. The sections are arranged end-to-end with their other ends adjacent each others which other ends are connected together on opposite sides of an intermediate transverse divider wall. The storage rack assembly is arranged transversely of the flat bed trailer with the upper storage compartments adjacent the sides of the flat bed, respectively, and upper clamping members are provided that straddle the upper surfaces of the flanges of the I-beams for connection with corresponding connecting members that extend under the I-beams and are fastened to the upper edges of the section side walls, respectively. Door closure members are pivotally connected with the remote ends of the end sections for closing both the upper and lower chambers. The dimensions of the upper and lower chambers are such as to receive the stakes and the plywood panels, respectively, of a conventional flat bed trailer side kit.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Conventional flat bed trailers haul a variety of goods that require accessories to secure, cover or protect a load, as, for example, tarpaulins, side kits, cargo straps, and tie down chains. When these devices are not in use, it is conventional to store them in receptacles mounted above or below the load supporting surface of the flatbed. On example of an earlier version of an under-the-flatbed storage box is the STORMOR box produced by Aero Industries, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. Conventional side kits are removable modular flat bed side and end vertical components that convert the flat bed trailer into a short dry-freight van, and when not in use, the side kit is broken down into its components (stakes, rigid panels, roof bows, and tarpaulins), which components require storing on the flat bed, or in the bulkhead of the trailer.
Initially it was proposed to store the side kit components in a box, and owing to the voluminous size of the side kits and their relative large mass (on the order of 1000 pounds), the storage boxes were welded or bolted underneath the trailer. To save on weight and expense, it was then proposed to provide storage racks that were designed to hold only the plywood panels, the racks being one-piece shelves that were supported transversely beneath the trailer from the main beams and the cross beams of the trailer. These early racks were simple V-shaped shelves that were formed from steel angle iron by the dealer or the trucker. The middle of the rack was welded or bolted to the main beam, and the ends of the racks were supported by pairs of vertical members that were welded or bolted to the underside of the side rail or cross members.
In the 1980's, Aero Industries, Inc., produced a sectional unit in which, prior to attachment to the trailer, the two halves were bolted together for attachment below the plywood storage shelf. A major problem with such storage racks is the breakage that often occurs owing to the twisting and shaking forces of the trailer as it traveled down the highway. Especially on the outside of the rack, in the area where the vertical members were mounted to the side rail, the forces would be multiplied to such an extent as to break the rack apart. Furthermore, the prior units took too long to mount (i.e., on the order of 1 to 2 hours) and often required modification of the trailer, together with its clean up. One example of a competitor's storage device is the "Under Body Aluminum Side Kit Storage Rack" manufactured by Tri-County Tarp and Metal Products of Bradner, Ohio. Basically, the racks or the prior art were mounted in one of two ways--either by bolting or welding to the web of the I-beam, or by spanning the flanges of each main beam with a pair of members from which the rack was welded and hung, and supported at its extremes by the outermost vertical members. The Tri-County Tarp storage rack had a V-shaped design extending completely transversely beneath the trailer and was an earlier attempt to achieve mounting of the storage rack without welding.
The present invention was developed to provide an improved storage rack assembly which avoids the problems of breakage resulting from stresses during use, the mounting of the rack in any way on the cross members of the trailer, and the drilling of any holes into the trailer of the I-beams thereof, which is quickly installed, and which fits trailers of all sizes.